Nebraska @ Rutgers preview

Nebraska at Rutgers

Last Meeting ( Feb 10, 2018 ) Rutgers 55, Nebraska 67

After having its 20-game home winning streak come to an end, Nebraska looks to climb back over .500 in Big Ten play when it visits Rutgers on Monday. The Cornhuskers missed an opportunity to add a marquee quadrant one win to their NCAA Tournament resume as they dropped a 70-64 decision to sixth-ranked Michigan State on Thursday, and they hope to get back into the win column by taking down the Scarlet Knights for the eighth time in nine meetings.

"There are no moral victories and I'm utterly mad and disappointed," Nebraska coach Tim Miles told reporters. "We can't stick around and be too disappointed because we have Rutgers, who just beat a ranked team at home so we need to be ready to go." Rutgers has lost three consecutive games since knocking off then No. 17 Ohio State 64-61 on Jan. 9. The Scarlet Knights are coming off a 65-57 setback to Northwestern on Friday and have dropped 16 of their last 18 Big Ten games dating back to last season, as they hope to turn their fortunes around with their first win against the Cornhuskers in over two years. "I have a lot of faith in the guys, but we're a young team and we need everybody," Rutgers coach Steve Pikiell told reporters. "These guys just have to keep on working hard and good things will happen."

TV: 8 p.m. ET, Big Ten Network

ABOUT NEBRASKA (13-5, 3-4 Big Ten): James Palmer went a perfect 11-of-11 from the free throw line en route to a team-high 24 points to go along with eight rebounds in the loss to Michigan State. Isaac Copeland added 13 points and five rebounds in his 100th career start, but the Cornhuskers were undone by a season-low 32.8 percent shooting performance from the field. Thomas Allen scored nine points while Glynn Watson Jr., who averages 13.2 points per game, was limited to eight on 3-of-13 shooting from the field as Nebraska dropped its ninth straight contest versus Top 10 opponents.

ABOUT RUTGERS (8-9, 1-6): Montez Mathis continued his stellar play in the new calendar year as the freshman guard led the way with 16 points against Northwestern to finish in double figures for the fourth time in his last five games. Geo Baker scored 12 points and dished out four assists to finish with over 10 points for the 34th time in his career, while Shaq Carter flirted with a double-double by adding nine points and a collegiate-high 10 rebounds against the Wildcats. Eugene Omoruyi, who leads the team in scoring (14.6) and rebounding (7.5), will miss his fourth straight game with a left leg injury with no set timetable for his return.

TIP-INS

1. Nebraska leads the Big Ten in steals per game (8.3).

2. Rutgers' last four losses have come by an average margin of 18.7 points.

3. The Cornhuskers are 5-8 in road conference games since the start of 2017-18 season.

PREDICTION: Nebraska 73, Rutgers 67